Practical Magic
by wwsadd
Summary: this is a series of one-shots that happen during my stories New/Old Magic... centering mostly on Rainy and Reid, but there some friend-centric stuff too! just for fun : read and review if you liked New Magic and Old Magic!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! So, this is Practical Magic, which is just a series of completely unrelated one-shots that mostly take place during New Magic, in that month between when Reid and Rainy start dating and when Chase starts really messing with them… there might be some other stuff added in… but that will be clearly marked (such as one-shots that take place during Old Magic). **

**I just wasn't ready to let go of my characters from these stories, but there wasn't really a good option for a third story either, so this was my alternative!**

**Anyways, if you're reading this I'm assuming you've read New and Old Magic, and if not, this is not going to make any sense. **

**Leave reviews… suggestions, comments… you know how much I love feedback!!**

_**~wwsadd**_

Who Needs a Mechanic?

"Shit!" The blonde girl swore. "Why do boys always make this look so easy?" She asked exasperatedly.

I laughed. "Because, it's part of the Y chromosome. Look, there are miracles out there called mechanics. I'll just call triple-A." The more-logical brunette said, holding up her phone.

I raised an eyebrow. "If you have service way out here, _that's_ the miracle." I told her, gesturing to my own phone that had been completely out of cell range for an hour. She looked down at her own and cursed.

"Well now what do we do?" Sarah asked, going into a panic. Her eyes filling with tears as she kicked the flat tire on my Porsche.

"Pray that there's a town up ahead." Kate said, pointing up the road we'd randomly decided to drive down. I felt a little bad; we'd gotten out of class early, and weren't supposed to meet the guys until later that night.

So, I'd suggested we take one of those spontaneous road trips where the goal was to get completely lost just for the adventure. I remembered the map though… the nearest town was a good ten miles away, and it was about to rain.

A thought occurred to me then, and I smiled mischievously. "I have a better idea." I said with a smirk, as an old Chevy Silverado came barreling around the corner. I let my billowing hair loose and stepped closer to the side of the road, sticking my thumb out.

"How is this better?" Kate asked, trying to grab my hand and force it down. Of course she was not successful, and the truck pulled over, a man with lots of dark greasy hair and a beer-belly jumping out of the front seat.

"You pretty ladies need some help?" He asked with a smile that was missing teeth. I grinned sweetly, motioning the girls to follow my lead. Sarah gave me an 'are you out of your mind glare' but kept her mouth shut and moved to stand beside me.

"Yes, please! We were just out driving and, well, my car got a flat tire, and I don't have a spare, and…our cell phones don't work!" I said, trying to sound scared. The man's smile became more pronounced.

"Is that so? Well lemme see what I can do for ya." He said with a wink.

"Oh, thank you!" I cried. He turned to the Porsche, and I pointed discreetly to the abandoned Chevy, sitting a few yards back from where we were standing. Kate's eyes widened in disbelief, but she grabbed Sarah and slowly backed toward the truck.

The man was busy studying the flat tire. "And, I think something is leaking oil or something underneath too… I just don't know anything about cars!" I lied convincingly. His face contorted in confusion, and he crawled underneath it, sliding on the dirt so he could look up at the bottom of the car.

I slipped silently back toward the truck where Kate and Sarah were waiting. Jumping in the driver's seat, I deftly reached down and caught the wires coming out of the steering wheel. The truck spluttered to life, and I threw it into drive, jumping back on the road and spinning out past the man, who had the all time funniest look on his face.

I threw Sarah my keys, and she hit the automatic lock as we past, hearing my car honk, locking the man outside in the rain that was starting to fall. I smiled sweetly at him and waved, before hitting the gas and flying around the next corner.

Twenty seconds later we were all laughing so hard that none of us could breathe. "I can't believe we just _did_ that!" Kate said, grabbing the seatbelt and buckling it.

I smirked. "I'm not opposed to grand theft auto." I said, causing them to laugh harder.

"How did you learn to hotwire a car anyways?" Sarah asked between giggles. I shrugged.

"My aunt taught me how." I said. By this point we all had tears running down our faces from laughing so hard.

"I guess we found our adventure." Kate pointed out. "And that creep totally deserves to drown."

It didn't take long to get to the next small town with the way I drove. Kate hopped out at the gas station and ran in to use the payphone to call for help. We left the truck by the convenience store when AAA showed up, and we rode with the repair guy back to where the car was still sitting on the side of the road.

The man whose truck we stole was nowhere to be seen, but soon the tire had been replaced and we were on our way back to Ipswich, though we were going to be late getting to Nicky's.

When we got to the bar, Kate ran ahead and jumped on Pogue, showing a rare public display of affection. Sarah and I reached the table at the same time, just in time, in fact to hear the biker ask about the hour. "You guys are way late, what gives?"

Kate started laughing; Sarah shot me a look, before giggling too. Reid grabbed my hand and pulled me into the circle of his arms. "What did you do now?" He asked exasperatedly.

I shrugged. "Nothing. Why do you always assume it was me?" He gave me a pointed look.

Kate took a breath, "We got a flat tire way out in the middle of freaking nowhere." She explained before bursting into another fit of laughter.

"Well that sucks…?" Ty said, confused.

Sarah picked up the story. "Well… we were so far out of cell phone range that we couldn't call triple-A, and Rainy didn't have a spare tire on the Porsche, so we were like freaking out." She told them.

Caleb's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "You didn't just start walking did you?"

I cut in, "That's what Kate wanted to do. _I_ had a better idea." I said, causing the girls to double over laughing.

"Oh really?" The fearless leader said skeptically.

I stuck my thumb out over the table that was littered with drinks and empty plates. Caleb's eyes widened in horror. I felt Reid tense, and Pogue snorted.

"Tell me you were not that stupid." He said. Kate kissed him on the cheek, grinning.

"Nope! Rainy's a genius—she completely played the creeper that pulled over to help us, stole his truck, hotwired it, and we drove it to the next town so we could call for help." She finally managed to say.

Reid started laughing, though Caleb didn't look so happy. "_Who_ are you?" He asked, tightening his grip around my waist. I giggled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I retorted, pulling him toward the dance floor.

I heard Caleb muttering to Pogue over the table, though we were far enough away that Reid probably couldn't. "Something tells me we're going to have our hands full."

He had no idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I know the last one was more a "girls" friendship shot, and this is another, just because this is a scene I'd really wanted to describe in more detail, but thought that New Magic was drawn out enough without it. Just to clarify, at this point Kate and Sarah (though not the boys) know Rainy's secret.**

**remember, I don't own anything but my overactive imagination!**

**_~wwsadd_**

* * *

Arts and Crafts

"You know, my mother is going to murder me for this." Sarah said idly, pulling open the door to the shady-looking tattoo parlor. Kate rolled her eyes.

"What she doesn't know won't kill her." She said, marching up to the guy at the counter. He had every available space on his face pierced. Seriously, there were metal bars in his lip, and little pointed pieces of metal sticking out of his cheeks. He was like a walking advertisement to stay in school.

"What can I do ya for?" He asked, sounding bored. His curtain of greasy dark hair hung in his face. I felt Sarah shudder next to me. I had to suppress a laugh. This was such a cliché.

Kate slid a piece of paper across the glass countertop. "We all three want this tattoo." She demanded. The guy looked at it disinterestedly.

"You aren't intoxicated are you?" He asked, meeting each of our eyes for a brief moment. Kate snorted. Sarah was still looking anxiously around at the posters of threatening skulls and devils that were supposed to be promoting the genius of the tattoo artist or whatever.

I stepped up next to Kate. "It's three o'clock in the afternoon." I pointed out, gesturing to the abstract clock behind him. The numbers looked like they were bleeding onto the wall. This place definitely got props for being creepy.

"Your point…?" He asked, one ringed eyebrow rising in defiance. I glared, before the stupidity of the situation could make me bust up laughing. Putting on my scariest vampire face, I persuaded. "How about you mind your business and we'll mind ours… or we'll take our money elsewhere."

He bowed his oily head slightly, a new-found respect shining in his empty eyes. "Just a moment." Rising from his seat behind the counter, he made his way into the back, hollering in a language even I didn't recognize.

"Uh, that guy looked like he was gonna knife me! Are you crazy?" Kate asked in a hushed voice, turning to glower at me. I giggled.

"Oh Kate." I sighed with an indulgent smirk. "I think if it came down to a fight… you'd be on the winning side." I said, smiling widely enough that my canine teeth showed. Comprehension dawned on her face, causing her to giggle too.

"Who's first?" Another voice asked. I turned to look at the man that now stood behind the display-case counter. This one was not completely covered in body art, but he was even more threatening than the first. His eyes were dark—deep black and soulless. The irises were black too, and I assumed that he had invested in color contacts… because despite his appearance he was human. I could smell it.

I felt Kate freeze up next to me, and thought Sarah might be going into shock behind us. I let a couple hundred dollar bills fall lightly onto the counter. "Me." I said firmly. If this guy really was as much of a creeper as he seemed, then it was best that the vampire-girl go first. I'd teach him a lesson if the situation called for it.

He beckoned me to follow him into the dark back room, but Kate grabbed my hand. "Are you out of your mind?" She asked, clearly seeing how scary-creature-of-the-night the tat artist looked. I shrugged.

"The answer to that is debatable. I promise, if he tries anything funny I won't be the only one with puncture wounds." I said, my voice low enough that creeper #1 was unable to hear my comment. She choked on a sound that sounded like a laugh caught in a gasp.

Without another word, I followed the shadowy man into the dimly lit room. He shut the door firmly behind me, an ominous sound. Pointing to the fold-out doctor-looking table, he gestured for me to sit. Hopping up lightly, I swung my feet, waiting for further instruction.

"Where's this monstrosity going?" He asked, glancing back down at the picture in his hands before crumpling it up and tossing it in a wire waste basket. I glared at him until he was cowering. At least I still had a vampire trick or two up my sleeve.

Pointing lightly to my hip, his eyes sparkled with mischievousness. "You're going to need to take your pants off." He said cheerily. I grimaced and slid out of my tight jeans, noting the disappointed look on his face. I giggled.

I wasn't stupid. I'd worn my swimming suit bottoms underneath- knowing beforehand where the tattoo was going. And my swimming suit bottoms were non-revealing… props to Alice on realizing the importance of leaving _something_ to the imagination. Smiling angelically I asked, "Is there a problem?"

He muttered something in the same strange language as the kid out front, but shook his head. "Of course not." He said, a bit louder. Pulling a needle out of a sterile package, he attached it to a machine that made a menacing whirring noise.

"Sit still." He warned. I stuck my tongue out when he wasn't looking. It didn't take him more than fifteen minutes to outline the design in black. "All done?" He asked, looking up for the first time. I checked it over, deciding I was satisfied, and moreover that I wasn't spending another minute in there with the weirdo.

Pulling my jeans back on, I made my way back out to the waiting area. Kate and Sarah were in a corner whispering. I snuck up on them, causing Kate to curse and Sarah to nearly faint. "How'd it go?" the blonde finally asked.

I showed them the finished product, and then sent them back together… hoping that my threatening glare from before was still enough to keep him from upping his level of creepy on them.

Forty minutes later they both came limping back out, causing me to giggle at them.

"How'd it go?" I mocked. Kate gave me the finger, and then tossed me her keys. Apparently I was driving home.

"That dude was freaking weird." Sarah said, wincing as she climbed in the back of Kate's shiny SUV. I turned the key in the ignition, and skimmed through the radio stations. I nodded in consent.

"Yeah. That's what I'd call an understatement. That's one story I vote we don't tell the boys." I said mildly, singing along with the whiny voice that was blaring from the speakers. A few seconds passed with no word from my friends, and I figured they were still sulking in pain or whatever.

Until Sarah started laughing. "Since when do you listen to boy band music?" She asked, jumping in at the lyrics of the old '_Nsync_ song. Kate's dark eyebrows rose up so high that they almost disappeared into her hair.

"I don't know you guys." She said decidedly. I laughed, singing louder, and purposely off-key.

"You just don't appreciate talent." I said when the song ended.

She rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh.

"Right, Rainy. I think the real talent was us getting out of there without being murdered. Or at least contracting a communicable disease." She teased.

I shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. "No. That was luck. And who says we didn't contract a disease?" I asked.

"I hate you." She said lightly, as I put her car in park and handed over her keys.

I grinned. "Yeah, I know." I said with a smile.

"So…" Sarah started, leading the way up to our room. "What are we gonna tell the guys? I mean, Pogue will probably think its funny, and Tyler already thinks we're retarded. But Caleb and Reid are gonna _freak_." She pointed out.

A shudder rocked through me at the mention of _his_ name… I hadn't felt his arms around me since that stupid fight with Seth… and I missed him _so_ much. I brushed it off, not wanting to ruin the girls' night atmosphere.

"We tell them we went to Boston to get it done. Even Pogue would beat the shit out of that guy if he found out." Kate said mildly, claiming Sarah's desk chair.

I imagined the boys in that little dirty tattoo shop, going all psycho-killer on the poor kid behind the counter. "It's not his fault… I'm sure he just had a crappy guidance councilor." I pointed out, falling back onto my bed.

Kate picked up Sarah's hair brush and chucked it at me.

"You know, some day you're gonna get us in a lot of trouble." She said.

I grinned. "That's the plan."

Sarah groaned.

* * *

**so... I realize these are oneshots and there's not a lot of incentive to review... but I still really like it when you do!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alrighty... so this one takes place just a couple days before Chase shows back up in New Magic... it's a Reid/Rainy chapter mostly- with a small side of very-annoyed-Tyler :)**

**Read and Review!!! **

**_~wwsadd_**

* * *

Ipswich Idol

The room was spinning. I groaned, rolling over and trying to fall back asleep. Damn Sarah and her persuasion skills!! I told her I didn't want to drink anything last night. Who throws a party on a Wednesday night? But she had to go and insist that a house party is a waste of time without taking at least one shot.

And I was stupid enough to let Kate pick out the one shot I said I'd take. It'd been a month since that night at the Dells that I'd first been 'under the influence' and I guess I let my reckless teenage side take over for a minute. The fact that I'd promised Jasper I wouldn't had kept me in check…why was I suddenly deciding to be a stereotypical teenager in _this_ manner?

"Drink this." Kate demanded with a tipsy giggle, thrusting a shot-glass into my hands. Squeezing my eyes shut, I downed whatever it was. Sarah gasped, pulling the bottle from Kate's hands.

"Shit Kate! So-Co? She's gonna be on her _ass_." Sarah said, before bursting into giggles herself. The minute the liquid scorched down my throat, I knew without a doubt that she was right. It burned into all the corners of my body deliciously… dangerously.

Precisely four and a half minutes later, I was falling over my own feet. I recognized the dark head of hair that joined our group, throwing my arms around his neck. "Ty Ty!" I giggled, kissing him loudly on the cheek.

Understanding flashed in his eyes quickly, and he turned to glare at Kate, who was just as gone as I was. "Damn it Kate!" He snapped, grabbing my waist to keep me from stumbling back and falling on my butt. "You know she doesn't drink!"

"She does now!" Kate said, hiccoughing. She tossed the empty Southern Comfort bottle on the floor and tripped over to where Pogue was talking to some guy I vaguely recognized from Lit class. He laughed indulgently when she threw herself at him.

Sarah had already disappeared, and I scanned the room for Caleb, giving up when my short attention span refused to cooperate. What did I care anyway? Fearless Leader could take care of himself and his girlfriend for five freaking minutes.

Tyler was scanning the trashed, crowded room too. Every once in a while he'd mutter a curse under his breath. His grip on me didn't loosen, and I began to get bored just standing there. Yanking away from him roughly, his eyes shot to mine. "Whoa Rainy… where are you going?" He asked, grabbing my wrist—not in restraint, just following me.

I tugged him toward the drunk, dancing couples near the state-of –the-art stereo system. "I wanna dance." I said childishly. He rolled his pretty blue eyes, but followed me none-the-less. Even in my drunken state, I could see how people respectfully got out of his way, making it easier for him to keep hold of me.

I don't know how many songs played through, Tyler's hands trapping me from true escape. But that was okay with me. As long as I could move my body with the rhythm of whatever lame music was pulsing through the crowd, I was happy.

Every once in a while, I saw Tyler searching the room full of partiers. Finally I got fed up with it. "Sorry if I'm keeping you from a hot date… you don't have to babysit me you know." I slurred, nearly knocking into Aaron who was nearby, dancing with some cheap whore from the looks of it.

His attention refocused again. "No." He said shortly. "I'm looking for your idiot boyfriend. He said he'd be here, and he still hasn't shown up. I'm about to take you home." He said firmly.

I giggled. "You know Ty; I don't think Reid'd be okay with you… _taking me home_." I repeated, thickening my words with implication. He looked disbelievingly at me for a minute before roaring in laughter. Taking the opportunity while he was doubled over laughing, I slipped away from him. I searched for Kate, wondering if she'd found another bottle of whiskey yet.

Instead, I ran into Sarah and Caleb, making out in the dark corner of the room. I cleared my throat loudly, causing them to split apart reluctantly. "Get a room." I muttered, before stumbling away. I'd forgotten whose house this even was… some snobby Spencer kid, no doubt.

Finding the dining room, but still no Kate, I smirked vindictively when my eyes caught the bar—there were two drunken skanks up on it already.

I knew my parents would shoot me if they could see me right now, but I couldn't bring myself to care as I tripped determinedly over to the long, glossy wooden bar, so much different from the worn wood of the beloved bar at Nicky's.

The dark blue cargo pants I had on were extremely low cut—my black halter top barely came down to cover my navel. But I shrugged it off. At least I wasn't in a miniskirt. Hopping lithely up on the bar, I started rolling my hips with the intro to the fast song that suddenly came on the radio.

The two other girls nodded in approval. Though I'd never seen them before, I could tell by looking that they were as drunk as I was. They started grinding on each other, while I reached down and grabbed the microphone to the abandoned karaoke machine that sat on the far end of the bar.

I flipped the power to _on_, not needing the scrolling screen that was still off, and sitting desertedly at the edge of the bar.

_  
I saw him dancin' there by the record machine  
I knew he must 'a been about seventeen  
The beat was going strong  
Playin' my favorite song  
An' I could tell it wouldn't be long  
Till he was with me, yeah me  
An' I could tell it wouldn't be long  
Till he was with me, yeah me singin'_

_I love rock n' roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock n' roll  
So come an' take your time an' dance with me  
OW.._

By this point people had gathered around the bar, the two other drunk girls dancing in sync with my singing. I was too intoxicated to care that I was making a complete and utter fool out of myself. Though from the looks of it, most people thought I wasn't half bad. Couples had started to dance nearer to the bar instead of by the stereo.

I strutted up and down the bar, dancing with the music as I sang. Maybe I should apply for a job at a strip club… The idea made me giggle before I started the next verse.

_  
He smiled so I got up an' asked for his name  
That don't matter, he said,  
'Cause it's all the same_

_Said can I take you home  
where we can be alone_

_An' next we were movin' on  
He was with me, yeah me_

_Next we were movin' on  
He was with me, yeah me, singin'_

_I love rock n' roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock n' roll  
So come an' take your time an' dance with me  
Ow.._

As I finished this verse, I was vaguely aware of my friends, whispering furiously to each other in the corner. Kate was laughing, Sarah's eyes were wide, in admiration or horror I couldn't quite tell. Tyler was pissed. Pogue was laughing even harder than his girlfriend… and Caleb looked like he was trying hard to keep a straight face.

_  
Said can I take you home where we can be alone_

_Next we'll be movin' on  
He was with me, yeah me  
An we'll be movin' on  
An' singin' that same old song  
Yeah with me, singin'_

_I love rock n' roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock n' roll  
So come an' take your time an' dance with me_

People broke into thunderous applause, and I swung the microphone by the cord around my fingers a couple of times until I caught it again. Curtsying, I put on my most devious smile. "Thanks, I'll be here all night!" I said, jumping down from the bar and almost falling flat on my back.

Slipping through the throngs of people, I made my way to the corner… knowing I was in for it now. Kate was jumping up and down, still giggling. "I have never seen anything that amazing happen… ever. Except when you punched Aaron in the face—but this might even be better than that." She babbled.

Pogue clapped me on the shoulder. "Wow. When you try out for American Idol, I suggest not telling them about this little performance." He said, swaying slightly with the next song that had come on the radio. I wondered if any of us was sober anymore.

Until I heard Tyler, and I immediately felt a little guilty. Turning to my best friend, I tried to look remorseful. I guess my puppy-dog look worked, he glared playfully at me for just a moment, before groaning. "You know, Reid's gonna be pissed when I have to tell him about this…" He groaned.

"Tell me what?" Ty spun; I could see the panic in his eyes. Sometimes he was so afraid of Reid that it was adorable. I didn't question my boyfriend's whereabouts… I'd learned long ago to trust him. Shoving lightly past the youngest Son, I jumped up into said boyfriend's arms, pressing my mouth to his.

Alcohol screwed with my emotions, so sue me. After a moment, he let go of me, letting me slide back to the floor and turning to glare at Kate. "Why does my girlfriend taste like whiskey?" He asked, his arm still tight around my waist. I leaned into him, smiling goofily.

Kate shrugged, pulling Pogue's glass away from him and downing it too. "Sarah told-er she had to take one shot… it-s-her fault she lemme pick it out." She said, her words blending together. "The better question is wher-eyou werwhen your girlfriend wa-sdancing on-the-bar." She continued, her slur worsening.

His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, as though he hadn't caught what she said. Tyler's ears were red, his gaze apprehensively on Reid's face. "When she was _what_?"

I stuck my tongue out at Kate. "Hi!" I said, waving my hand in his face. "I'm right here! K, thanks! And so-s you know, she said I was dancing up there… which isn't technically true… those girls are dancing." I said, pointing to the girls who were now full on kissing each other on the bar. "I was singing…it was funny." I said.

The expression on the blond boy's face was somewhere between outraged disbelief, and amused tolerance. The result was an outraged-but-tolerantly-amused disbelief. He rounded on his friends. "Funny?" He asked, his tone and icy eyes both flashing dangerously.

I slid under his arm to get between him and his apparently-neglectful friends. "Yeah baby, funny. You should have seen the looks on their faces." I whispered conspiratorially, hooking my thumb back over my shoulder to gesture to Caleb, Pogue, and Tyler, who stood a few feet behind me.

Finally the amusement won out in his expression, though I knew I wasn't off the hook. "I'm sure Baby Boy about pissed himself." He said with a snicker, pulling me back into his side. I pressed my face into his t-shirt, inhaling the fiery scent.

Tyler sent us both a supremely dirty look. I blew a kiss at him before dragging Reid off toward the real stereo where the other couples had resumed dancing after my little display.

Pulling me up against his chest tightly, his hands wandered down to my hips. I let my head lean back against the side of his neck, shuddering when he whispered in my ear.

"That was all on purpose wasn't it?" He asked.

I smirked. "Mostly." I said back, causing him to snicker.

"That's my girl." He said, his warm breath tickling my neck and causing amazing little shivers to rack through my body.

"Damn straight." I quipped.

"I have a request." He said, trailing his hands up my sides and back down to rest on my hips. Another song had started playing. Turning lightly so I was facing him, I tried my best to concentrate on our conversation… although there were quite a few factors playing against me.

"Oh? And what might that be?" I asked, and I could feel the mischievous look on my own face.

"Next time wait 'til I get here." He said, his voice low and seductive in my ear. It doubled my already speeding heartbeat, causing my breath to get caught in my throat.

I inhaled after a minute. Smirking up at him I raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Well… if you want a private performance, all you have to do is ask." His grip on me tightened, his eyes darting to the door. I felt his heart speed up too.

After a moment he gave up with whatever self-control issue he was having and started dragging me toward the exit. I followed excitedly. I knew I wasn't thinking clearly, but right then, I was living in the moment and in that moment I wanted to be alone with my boyfriend.

He held open the car door for me, and I climbed in eagerly, waiting for him to circle the car and slide in the driver's side. He whipped out his cell phone quickly, flipping it open and hitting a speed dial. "Hey Baby Boy…I'm taking Rainy home." His voice speeding through the words, and I giggled as I remembered when Ty had said nearly the same thing.

Tyler must have said something irritatingly logical, because Reid made a face. "No kidding. You know, give me some credit please." He snapped. Whatever Tyler said next made him smirk. "You got it… Later man." He said, closing his phone and tossing it into the center consul.

I looked at him curiously as he took off into the starless cloudy night. "Credit?" I asked, starting to feel the alcohol burning out of my system. I was slowly becoming revolted with my behavior at the party. His icy eyes caught mine, ignoring the road for a minute.

"Yeah, apparently they all just think I want one thing from you." He said, his voice hardening at the end. His words registered quickly in my brain. Reid was a playboy—he had a reputation a mile wide. But we'd been together almost a month… our anniversary was on Friday… and he'd never pushed me in _that_ way at all. If anything, I was the pushy one in _that_ area.

I snickered, causing his expression to become puzzled. "Apparently you don't want that one thing from _me_, so I don't see why they're worried." I pointed out. He looked even more shocked at this. He opened his mouth and then shut it again comically. The infamous Reid Garwin, at a loss for words.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He finally managed to sputter. I started laughing at the look on his face. Once I started laughing, I wasn't able to stop. Soon, I could barely get any oxygen to my lungs, I was giggling so hard.

His thunderstruck expression didn't change. We were finally in the parking lot at Spencer, and he turned the car off. He was still staring at me as if I was from another planet. "How is this funny?" He asked after another minute. My laughter hadn't even slowed, because the look on his face hadn't changed.

"The look on your face… is priceless." I finally managed to gasp. His eyes darkened in irritation.

"Well excuse me for being shocked. My girlfriend just told me I don't _want_ her—I'm still trying to process." He snarked back. I didn't realize that what I'd said would have such an effect on him. Calming myself as much as I could, I reached out to take his right hand from the steering wheel, pulling it toward me and holding it tightly in both of mine.

"I didn't mean it like that." I chided. He looked up at me doubtfully. I tried to get him to smile, but I guess I'd brought this upon myself…his stubborn expression didn't lift at all. "Oh come on Reid." I snapped, getting annoyed as well.

"Shit Rainy." He muttered. "I don't think we should have this conversation until you're sober." He said after a moment. I shook my head defiantly.

"I think we should have this conversation right now." I disagreed, unbuckling my seatbelt and climbing over into his lap, sitting so facing him, our faces just inches apart. I knew I reeked of whiskey, but I was thinking rather clearly by this point.

His hands landed on my waist restrainingly. His icy eyes were skeptical. "It's been my experience that talking about sex while intoxicated never leads anywhere good." He said pointedly.

His casual reference to his past personal choices sent a shock through me, sobering me up even more. I knew deep down that this was a conversation that should not be had right then and there, but it was a conversation we needed to have sometime and now was going to have to do.

I shoved my unruly hair out of my face, and locked my gaze with his. "You have a lot of experience to go on, I _do_ realize that." I started, pressing a finger to his lips when it looked like he was going to interrupt. "But I'm really not like other girls, so let's pretend like this is a new situation for both of us and just talk it out, alright?" I asked.

He sighed. "Why would you say that I don't want you?" He asked, mumbling against the finger I still had pressed to his lips. Moving my hand to rest on his shoulder instead, I gave him a pointed look.

"I've heard a lot about you, Reid Garwin…master charmer, smooth talking sex god. Half the female population of Spencer students still whisper about you in the hallways. I've seen the charming side, heard the smooth talking sarcasm…but it's been almost a month, and you have yet to do anything but kiss me. How can you even wonder where my comment came from?" I asked, letting my gaze drop to where my fingers were fidgeting with a loose thread on his shirt.

His hands tightened even more on my waist. I wasn't sure that I'd gone about this whole thing in the right way… I mean I wasn't dying to jump into bed with anyone, as much as Reid meant to me, my parents had instilled their beliefs very firmly in me about sex. I just wondered ever since we'd been together where all the stories came from that I heard inadvertently in the girls' bathrooms at school.

His voice was soft when he answered me. "Rainy…" He waited until I was able to look back up at him. His brilliant blue eyes were completely sincere. "I've made a lot of bad choices in my life. I used to not give a fuck what anyone thought…I used to treat life like a game—having as much fun as I could _while_ I could. It wasn't a good way to be. There's a lot that I did that I regret, now more than ever. I just want you to try to look past that." He said slowly.

I was glad to see the honesty in his face. I knew he could lie to me if he wanted…I'd probably look past it anyway at this point. It meant a lot to me that he was going to tell me the truth. "I can. I do. I have." I told him, stressing the honesty in my voice too. "I don't mind that you have a past—we all do. Maybe not all quite as colorful as yours but…" I teased. I hoped his expression would lift a little… I didn't like making him unhappy.

"What you hear… it's true. There's nothing I can do to change that, but I'm very sorry if my past decisions have made it hard for you." He said, still serious, and sad. It was making my heart hurt.

I tried to smile. "Hard for me? Nah, all the other girls all idolize me because apparently I've done the impossible by even keeping your attention for this long. It's more funny than anything else." I said, honest but jokingly at the same time. He didn't look convinced. "Really Reid, since when do I care what people think anyway?" I asked.

Finally he smirked his legendary smirk and I breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm still not convinced you're human myself." He snickered. His words sent a shock through me that I brushed off as quickly as I could. I wasn't human… but now definitely wasn't the time for that conversation.

I shrugged, leaning in to kiss him softly. "I didn't mean to make you mad." I apologized when I pulled away a moment later.

He shifted, and I was suddenly curled up, my head on his chest. His heartbeat was steady and comforting under my ear. "You just surprised me is all. I never want you to doubt us…" He said, running his fingers through my hair lightly—brushing it out of my face again. "And I'll be damned if I screw it up this time. I'm going to be a good boyfriend if it kills me." He promised.

I giggled. "It might." I said playfully, reaching for the latch on the door and tumbling out, landing securely on my feet. Tugging on his hand, I pulled him toward the school.

He hit the automatic lock on the car, and then let me drag him inside and up the stairs toward my room. "What do you have planned?" He asked warily.

I smirked, pulling out my key to unlock the large wooden door. "I owe you an encore performance, right?" I asked deviously. His eyes went wide as I flipped on the light and locked the door behind him.

"I don't think that's a good idea." He warned.

"Why?" I challenged, kicking off my shoes and leaving them carelessly near the door.

He glared disapprovingly. "I don't know how much self-control I have left." He muttered.

I'd pulled a pair of sweats and a tank top from my closet, and I disappeared into the small half-bathroom for a moment to change. Coming back out, now comfortable, I shoved Reid lightly toward my bed, ignoring the objection on his face. He untied his shoes though, and took off his jacket, throwing it over my desk chair.

I climbed on the bed next to him after flipping off the light. "Rainy…" He warned. I giggled in the darkness, rolling over so my head was on his chest again and snuggling into his embrace.

"What?" I asked innocently, pecking him lightly on the cheek before letting my head drop back down to my much preferred pillow. Inhaling the scent that radiated from him, I began to hum an old melody. It was a lullaby that my father had composed for my mother so many years ago. One that I'd heard many a night growing up.

Within minutes I could tell that he was asleep by his even breathing. "I love you." I whispered, knowing the words were true, and letting the confidence in them take me to dreamland too.

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**I never really went in to the details of Reid and Rainy's relationship... I just wanted to give a little insight to their time together (the main reason for this story of one-shots even being posted).  
I really appreciate the feedback I get from these... so let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**hey guys!! I know it's been a while, but I'm taking 17 credit hours for school, and work three days a week, so my "for-fun" writing is kind of getting left in the dust!! but i'm still working on a couple of things for Practical Magic, just cuz I find it so entertaining :)**

**anything you want to see in a one-shot, PM me, and I'll see what I can do!!**

**this one is short, but I really like it... let me know what you think, as always!!**

_**~wwsadd  
**  
_

Reading Between the Lines

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"So what's the plan for tonight?" I asked, flipping through an old issue of Cosmo while lying on my bed with my feet propped up on the wooden headboard.

"There's not really one. Caleb and Pogue and Kate are going to some Harvard party thing. Tyler has a swimming banquet." Sarah replied, lying across her bed on her stomach, her feet in the air. "What's Reid up to tonight?"

I shrugged. He hadn't called me yet today. But it was still early. "Not sure, it's not my turn to babysit him." I joked.

She giggled. "It's always your turn to babysit him." She retorted. I stuck my tongue out and continued to flip through the magazine.

The title at the top of a very colorful page caught my eye.

_**  
Is it Fate?**_

I started laughing. Sarah glanced up from her Lit book and gave me a dirty look. "Cosmo is like, the Bible. Don't mock it." She said, barely able to keep a straight face through the end of her declaration.

"Did Caleb buy you flowers last Valentine's day?" I asked, reading off the first question of the 'love quiz'.

"What do you think?" She asked with a blush. I glared. "Roses. Two dozen." I snorted. That was classic.

"Did he buy or make your Christmas gift?" I fired off the next one, dodging the pillow that she flung at my face.

She thought for a moment. "Well, he technically had it made. So which is that?" She asked. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She pulled at her necklace, carefully taking it off and handing it over.

_  
True Love Never Dies _was engraved on the back of the solid silver heart, a diamond_ S_ was entwined with a _C_ on the front.

I whistled in real appreciation this time. That was a very Edward-Cullen-like gift. I handed it back to her, glancing down at the magazine. I giggled at the next question. "How's the sex on a scale of one to ten?" I asked. Her face turned even redder than before, causing me to laugh harder.

"It does _not_ ask that!" She screeched. I shrugged.

"Sorry sweetie. Do you want to know if it's fate or not? Give me a number." I demanded, getting entirely too much amusement out of this.

It took her nearly five minutes to start breathing again. She sighed, her face still looking like a tomato. "Eight." She finally mumbled. I tried not to laugh at her again. I made a mental note of her answer and moved on to the final question.

"How do you feel about his mother?" It was Sarah's turn to snort.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

"I have no idea. Ask the geniuses at Cosmo… or should I say, the _bible._" I mimicked.

She stuck her tongue out. "What are the options?"

"A.) I hate her with the fire of a thousand suns. B.) We're great; we talk about _insert name here_ all the time! It angers him. C.) We don't interact at all; my boyfriend hates his mother, and loves me, so I haven't even met the supposed spawn of Satan. D.) I want to be just like her some day! Or E.) She died before we hooked up, thank god." I recited, and looked over at my roommate, wondering what she was going to come up with.

It took her less time than I'd thought. "D is the best answer as it pertains to me and Caleb and his _mother_." She said. I felt my eyes widen. She wasn't serious.

"His mom suffers from depression and alcoholism, right?" I asked.

Sarah sighed. "Yes. And obviously I don't want to be that when I'm older, it's just, well… Caleb's mom has been through a lot, and she's obviously done something right, I mean, look at how Caleb has turned out. It's not easy to stick by someone as unstable as Caleb's father was, and I just mean that I hope I have the same dedication she did." She explained.

I felt my chin drop. "That was deep." I cracked, trying to back to less sensitive subjects, we were approaching dangerous territory. She meant it was hard to stay with a Son of Ipswich- something she wouldn't explain, and something I knew more than I should know about.

This time her pillow hit the back of my head. "That was true. Now what's my fate?" She asked. I could see the worry in her eyes behind the joking. She was afraid that she wouldn't be strong enough to be Mrs. Caleb Danvers some day. I gave her an encouraging smile before turning my eyes back to Cosmo.

"_You are possibly crazy, but that is okay, because you are crazy about someone who is just as crazy about you. When the going gets tough, you'll still have your man. Hang in there honey, you've got a keeper_." I cringed at how cliché the whole statement was, though I was glad that it wasn't foretelling of breakups or counseling or something. Then I giggled. "Even if he is only an _eight_." I added.

I heard her gasp, and I shot her a dirty look. She should know I was kidding about that last part. "You're evil." She stated. I shrugged.

"Yeah, an evil genius." I retorted.

"Wow. That was original." She shot back.

"Oh right, cuz this whole conversation wasn't one giant cliché." I pointed out.

"Hey! I liked my fate. Do you and Reid!" She said excitedly. I shook my head.

"No freaking way. I'm not letting dear Cosmo define my relationship. Plus I think I already can pick out which of the results I'd end up with." I told her.

"Oh, come on. Just read that then." She challenged. I sighed.

"Fine." I relented. "_Your relationship is based on a different kind of love. Even your friends don't understand it, and that's perfectly fine with you. Sometimes it annoys people because they just don't get what you two are doing together, but you like being a mystery. Get it girl._" I said, laughing through the ending statement.

"I told you, Cosmo is always right." She said. I glared.

"We annoy you?" I asked, laughing at the thought.

She rolled her eyes. "Not exactly. It is kind of … puzzling? Though. Like, Reid thinks girls are only good for one thing. You know, love 'em and leave 'em. And then you come along and it's like _bam_! He's Mr. Perfect Boyfriend. And we never saw you do anything to change him, it just kind of happened. Like, even you seem surprised. What gives?" She asked.

I shrugged, especially because she was dead-on. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I am surprised… he told me before we started dating that he wasn't Prince Charming, and then has spent the last two and a half weeks proving that he _is_. It confuses me, but only in a good way." I said, feeling myself blush.

"_Awww_. That's so cute." She crowed. I flipped my middle finger up at her.

"Bite me." I muttered.

"No. Bite him. I'm sure he's into that kind of thing." She retorted, in a very un-Sarah like manner. After the shock wore off, I leapt off my bed to attack her.

She would never tell me to bite Reid if she knew that I was a vampire. This thought made me laugh as I began beating her with the pillow she'd repeatedly thrown at me.

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**so... good? bad? ridiculous? let me know what you thought!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know this is a little bit different, but I felt like writing it… so I did! Hope everyone reviews anyway!**

_**~wwsadd**_

* * *

Confession is Good for the Soul

_Sarah's PoV_

I don't know what it was about my new roommate, but she seemed to click instantly with everyone. I'd been worried, what with Caleb's secret and all, but Nessie seemed to fit right in. After Thursday at Nicky's, and Friday at the Dells, I knew she was something special.

She was gone when I woke up this morning, but she'd also mentioned something about visiting some family up north, so I wasn't too worried. To occupy myself (and to put off the homework that had already started piling up) I called Caleb.

He, of course, brought the boys and Kate. Me and Nessie's room was really too small for all of us, but we made do. And hey, I love to cuddle.

"So…honestly, what's your opinion of my new roommate?" I asked the room as a whole. I mean, I liked her, but if they had some unforeseen problem with her, I wasn't going to make the rest of the year into a giant drama-fest.

Tyler laughed. "She's cool. She's got a sharp sense of humor, that one." He said, from where he was leaning Nessie's desk chair back on two legs. He shot a calculating look at his best friend. "And she's hot, right Reid?"

The blond Son of Ipswich was both a major pain in the ass, and one of my favorite people in the world. But his reputation… not so great. He glared at the younger boy, who was snickering quietly. "Shut the hell up, Baby Boy."

"Reid…" I warned. "Don't do anything I'd have to disown you for. I happen to like my roommate, and would prefer you not completely alienate her before the end of the semester." I continued. Caleb grinned, pulling me closer. I let my head fall down to his shoulder to escape the supremely dirty look that Garwin was shooting at me.

"Gee thanks for that thrilling vote of confidence Boston." He muttered.

Kate laughed. "She has a point you loser. I like her too. Last night was more fun than we'd had in a long time. And don't pretend we didn't see the look on your face when she was dancing with Aaron Abbot. Ever think she might have been doing it just to annoy you?" She asked, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder.

Pogue grinned. "Yeah man, I think she has a point. That Rainy girl is pretty smart…. She was intoxicated at the time, but that's not really the point." He said, smiling angelically as Kate shot him a nasty look. I would never understand how those two argued as much as they did and still happened to be such a perfect couple.

Reid flipped up his middle finger at his friends indiscreetly. "Fuck all of you." He said mildly. Everyone laughed, until Reid's eyes flashed and Tyler's chair tipped a little too far back, spilling the youngest Son onto the floor with a loud, painful crash.

Kate reached out and smacked him on the back of the head. "You promised you'd stop doing that." She snapped. He shrugged unapologetically. Really, we all had to give him credit, he almost never Used anymore.

A tense silence had descended. "So… you're all cool if I invite her to hang out with us again tonight…?" I asked, returning to our previous subject.

Caleb nodded. "Looks like she's in the club." I clapped .

But six hours later, I was leaving the room, disappointed. "But they really want you to come along!" I said, my hand on the open door. Nessie was sprawled out on her bed with her Lit book.

"Sorry Sarah, I'd really love to tag along, but I'm pretty exhausted. You and your friends wore me out the last couple nights. I'm sure you can have a good enough time for the both of us." She said with a wink. I groaned.

"But…it's Saturday night! You can't stay in on a Saturday night; it's like, against the laws of high school." I said, internally cursing myself at how stupid that sounded.

Nessie laughed. "I think I had enough fun last night to last all weekend. I'm sure I'll have plenty of chances to make a fool out of myself next week." She retorted. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Last night?" She continued. "Me getting drunk and dancing with that idiot was such a great way to leave a first impression on my new classmates." She explained, when I still looked confused.

I remembered her and Aaron, through a blur of vodka and Pepsi. I also remembered the way Reid nearly beat the shit out of him when Kate and I had dragged her away for a minute. "Trust me, you've left quite an impression, and it's a _good_ one! Come on, come with me…please?!" I prodded.

She smiled but shook her head adamantly. "Maybe next time." She said, waving as I slammed the door shut and trudged toward the front door alone. I really hoped she became a regular part of our group, things were definitely more interesting with her around…

**

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**

**I just really felt like writing the scene when Rainy is at Alice and Jasper's. Let me know if it was terrible!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey y'all! I'm back. I just re-read through New Magic and Old Magic and decided that it was time for another oneshot. Of course let me know what you think… this isn't a scene I ever even thought about writing out, but once the idea struck me I thought I'd give it a shot.**

_**~wwsadd**_

* * *

Firsts

"Nessie? … … Nessie? … Earth to Renesmee!"

I was vaguely aware that someone was calling my name, but I didn't yank myself back to reality until a heavy textbook landed on the desk in front of me. I flinched and then turned to glare at Sarah.

"_What_?" I asked, giving her Geography book a dirty look.

"Uh… You've been off in Nessie-land for the last three hours. You haven't so much as blinked." She explained.

I snorted. "Nessie-land? Wo-ow." I teased. I tried not to be defensive… I knew I'd been completely zoned out, but I thought I'd had good enough reason… I had two hours until we were supposed to meet the boys, and I still had no idea where Reid and I stood.

Last night had been pretty perfect. I mean, who doesn't want to make out against the side of their super-cool sports car with the resident badass? But I'd spent the entire day freaking out. I hated that I was being such a girl about it, but I couldn't help but overanalyze every moment from the previous night, and worry acutely over what was going to happen tonight.

Sarah had asked what had happened this morning, and had been shocked… happy, but shocked. I wasn't sure if that was comforting or not. And I was too embarrassed at my inexperience to ask her what I was supposed to do next.

I loved my family, but they were eternal teenagers, none of whom were really up-to-date on today's dating practices. They'd given me the "sex is serious" spiel, and the "just say no" speech, but how to date a human? They kinda left that lecture out.

Sarah was about to retort, but was cut off by a knock on the door. It opened before she could reach for the doorknob. Ty slipped inside, his eyes closed comically tightly. "Boy entering room…" He said, pulling the door shut behind him and snickering.

I laughed, and it only sounded slightly strained. "Sorry, if you were trying to catch us naked you're ten minutes too late." I said, fidgeting with an eyeliner pencil that I'd left on my desk the night before.

He opened his eyes then, a playful glare in his pretty baby-blue eyes. "Oh come on, you wish I'd walked in on you undressing." He joked. Sarah smacked him on the back of the head.

I kept a straight face. "You caught me; it's what I dream about at night." I said solemnly. I expected him to show some sign of surprise, but he played along effortlessly.

"Really? Well that's ironic. Wanna know what I dream about?" He quipped back. I held back a giggle.

I smiled seductively, letting my voice drop a couple octaves. "Oh, I think I can guess… you know people say dreams can never compare to reality…" I let my words trail off suggestively.

He kept a straight face, though I was about to bust up laughing at any moment. He shook his head lightly, causing his dark hair to fall into his light eyes flirtatiously. "Care to test that theory?"

I took a deep breath, to keep from snickering. "Well… that could certainly be arranged…" I began to reply, but Sarah cut me off. She quickly threw her hands up and stepped between us as though breaking up a fight.

"That's enough of that. You're weirding me out… Could you possibly wait until I'm not around to play this game?" She asked, before skipping over to her closet. "Now… both of you do something productive and help me pick out something to wear tonight."

"You're going to regret asking me that." Tyler warned, traipsing over to peer into Sarah's closet.

An hour later we were climbing into the Hummer, all of us laughing. "I hate you." I said mildly to the youngest Son of Ipswich. He glanced up at me in the rearview mirror with a smirk on his face.

"I happen to think you guys look… great?" He said, before cracking up again. "No that's a lie. You look like your closet exploded." He continued, driving through the dark night without paying attention to the winding road. I glared down at what I was wearing, but thanked whatever god there was that I wasn't quite as bad off as Sarah. She was going to freeze to death.

She had on neon green shorts. And when I say short, I mean _short_. The ruffle-y pink tank top she had on didn't exactly match… and the polka dot tie that was randomly in her closet didn't really help pull the outfit together. Her socks didn't even match. The fedora hat that topped it off was pretty cute though.

I got off lucky in comparison. The jeans I was wearing had been thrown at me from the bottom of a pile of clothes on Sarah's half of the room. There were more rips and tears in them than there was fabric. The bright purple tights I had on underneath showed through in multiple places.

They were a size and a half too big, so in addition to drowning my feet, they would have fallen down completely without a belt. I traced the cool metal of the belt-buckle, wondering how it had ended up in my stuff. It was in excellent condition considering that it was nearly a hundred and fifty years old. I'd had to come up with a quick lie when Ty had asked how I happened to have part of a Confederate Army uniform in my closet.

It did match the red tank top I had on, but that wasn't the problem. I'd never seen the shirt before, and once again blamed Jasper for its existence. Stupid southern hick… I didn't make a habit of wearing clothing with the Confederate flag, and couldn't help but feel a little like a redneck for doing so now.

Tyler hadn't stopped laughing by the time he'd pulled the Hummer off the road into the looming trees. "Where are we going?" I asked anxiously, suddenly remembering last night and beginning to freak out all over again.

Sarah smiled. "You'll see. We don't come out here very often, but when the night is as clear as this one… well, the stars are amazing."

I cursed mentally. I'd counted on Nicky's or something similar… with other people around to alleviate the awkwardness if necessary.

It was only moments later when Tyler was putting it in park and climbing out. Through the shadows I could see Pogue's Ducati and Caleb's Mustang. Reid's Chevy was a larger distance away, but definitely _there_.

Sarah and I reluctantly got out too, and hurried to catch up with Tyler. We customarily linked arms with him as he headed toward the four figures standing casually quite near the edge of a cliff. I cast a glance skyward… Sarah was right; the stars were unbelievable out here.

Unfortunately it wasn't able to distract me for long. Half a minute later we were close enough that Kate and the boys could see us. There was an astonished silence, before Caleb opened his mouth. He shut it again a second later, as though he didn't even know what to say.

Thank god for Pogue. "Shit. You girls let Baby Boy dress you didn't you?" He asked with a chuckle. At his comment, I cast a sidelong glance at Ty, whose mind apparently went right back to our conversation earlier, as mine had. We both began to laugh too, until we were doubled up against each other, gasping for breath.

Sarah was shooting us a supremely dirty look. "You have no idea." She replied, causing me and Tyler to laugh even harder, if possible.

There was an entire minute of silence, other than us laughing of course. Finally Kate sighed. "What did we miss?" I shot a look at Sarah through my giggles. I was kind of curious how she was going to explain it.

She shrugged. "You guys honestly don't want to know." She said, shaking her head as she glanced back at me and Tyler again. "_I_ don't want to know." She added with a shiver. Neither one of us had jackets, but I was laughing too hard to even notice the chill.

"You're going to freeze." Caleb said abruptly, pulling his coat off and wrapping it around Sarah's shoulders. He frowned disapprovingly at Tyler, who was still laughing nearly as hard as I was. It honestly wasn't _that_ funny… I had no idea why we couldn't calm ourselves down.

I was purposely avoiding looking at Reid… I knew the minute I did my face was going to match my shirt. Perhaps the intense discomfort I felt with the situation was part of the reason I couldn't control my giggling.

Finally I took a deep breath. Then I waited a minute for Tyler to follow suit. I didn't let myself meet his eyes, because I knew we'd be right back in a fit of laughter. Instead I turned to the group as a whole. "Uh… we have exactly the same sense of humor?" I explained, gesturing between Tyler and myself without looking at him.

Sarah snorted. "Is that what you're calling it?" She asked. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"You know we were kidding." I said exasperatedly.

"We were?" Ty asked, I turned to stare at him, shocked. We collapsed in laughter again when I realized he was joking.

"I'm really confused." Kate said idly, pulling her fingers free from the big sweatshirt she was wearing. She quickly unscrewed the cap of the thermos she'd been holding. Steam rose from the open container, and I could distinctly smell apples and cinnamon.

I shrugged off her comment. "So… what are we doing out here?" I asked, pulling away from Tyler's side and skipping the quarter mile over to the edge of the cliff without waiting for an answer. It was a _long_ way down. It reminded me of the cliffs back home in La Push. I smiled as I remembered the trouble I used to get in out there.

I heard at least two sets of feet walk up behind me, but I stayed facing the impressive drop, closing my eyes and letting the gentle wind pull my hair back from my face. "Hey Evel Knievel, you're a little close to the edge there, don't ya think?" I grinned over my shoulder at the biker, and took another step forward, until my toes were on the lip of the cliff.

"Oh Pogue, live a little. Back home there were cliffs like this on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. We used to dive off them." I told him, pulling one foot back behind me for balance, ballet-style, as I leaned even further over the deep chasm.

"Alright, you've proved you're a badass. Get back here." Reid said, from where he and Pogue were standing ten feet back. I smirked at the concern in his voice.

"Or what?" I asked deviously, holding my balance. I thankfully did not inherit my mother's clumsiness.

I heard an exasperated sigh. Then with no warning whatsoever I felt an arm wrap around my waist and yank me back from the edge. With my balance thrown off so unexpectedly, I fell into him, knocking us both to the ground. "That's what." He muttered. I pouted, though my heart had started to beat painfully fast. I tried not to blush.

"You're no fun." I said, leaning slightly into him when he kept his arm around me. He shook his head, half a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, because _dying_ is so much fun." He retorted. I waited for him to get up, to insist we get away from the dangerous drop that was only a foot away. But he leaned back on one hand, letting his feet dangle over the edge. I shifted so I was situated the same way. I let my feet swing like a child's as I leaned into him again.

"What is this place?" I asked. The blanket of stars above us was incredible. I sighed and tipped my head back to look straight up, noticing as I did so that Pogue had disappeared. It was just us on the cliffs.

"Here." He said softly, lying back on the rough stone. He pulled on my arm until I lay back too, my head on his shoulder. "It's called Marblehead." He added, answering my question. "We're not too far from the Dells."

"So why do you guys _really_ come out here?" I asked slyly. "I can hardly see the four of you coming out here to star gaze… unless you're more _bromantic_ than I'm giving you credit for." I joked.

"Bromantic?" He asked with a snort, before answering. "I don't know. We used to come out here when we were little to play… we weren't the most brilliant kids ever." He added.

I snickered. "Brilliant enough not to fall off the edge, apparently." I pointed out.

"I think that had more to do with luck." He replied with a laugh.

The wind was really starting to get chilly, and I shivered involuntarily. "Damn Tyler and his _fashion_ sense." I muttered.

"Yeah he's got a mean streak." He teased, sitting up to shrug off his sweatshirt. "Put this on."

"I'm alright." I protested, though I was starting to freeze.

Reid's eyes flashed dangerously. "Rainy… this can be easy or…"

I smirked. "Or what?" I repeated, my words a challenge.

Swiftly he rolled over, so my back was pressed against the cool rock. He was practically sitting on top of me, supporting himself so he wasn't crushing me. I was holding my breath, wondering what he could possibly be planning.

Suddenly his fingers were digging into my ribs. It had been forever since someone had tickled me. I started laughing, playfully swatting at his hands. It wasn't long before I was completely out of breath. I'd laughed more in one night than I had since Jake had left.

When I couldn't take it for another second, I surrendered. "Okay, okay, you win!" I gasped.

He smirked victoriously. "I always win." He said smugly.

"If I recall correctly, _I_ won last night." I reminded him, referring to the five games of pool we'd played at Nicky's.

He leaned down so his face was closer to mine, placing his hands on the ground on either side of my face. "No, I did." He insisted, something underlying in his tone that I couldn't identify.

"Hey! I won all five games." I reminded him, pretending to be mad.

He smiled, not a smirk, but a real smile. If I'd been standing up it would have turned my knees to Jello. His eyes were like ice, and when they lit up my brain quit functioning properly. "Who said anything about a game?" He asked. He didn't give me time to respond or even process what he'd said before his lips were moving gently on mine. I reacted on instinct, threading my fingers through his hair to pull him closer.

Sooner than I would have liked he pulled away with a soft chuckle, and jumped up, pulling me to my feet too. I'd been fine when he'd been keeping me warm, but when all the cool air hit my body I shivered again. Reid rolled his eyes and sighed, picking up his forgotten hooded sweatshirt and handing it to me again.

I grinned and pulled it on, loving how it smelled like him. We wandered slowly along the edge of the cliffs, hands twined together. "So… what is this?" I finally asked, after a few minutes of silence. I gestured between us with my free hand.

His blond eyebrows rose, something like puzzlement in his eyes. I rushed to elaborate. "You know, are we friends with benefits?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light, though it would really hurt if that's all he wanted.

He stopped suddenly, causing me to nearly fall down again when I'd just kept walking. He grabbed for my other hand so we were facing each other. "Not a chance." He said quickly.

I glowered. "Well then you should probably stop pinning me to random surfaces and kissing me like that. It sends the wrong message." I said condescendingly. He looked confused for a minute before he started laughing.

My glare intensified, so he hurried to explain. "Friends with benefits means I have to share. I'm not interested in sharing." He said, bending his head down to capture my lips again. I felt my cheeks warm. When he pulled back this time his smirk was firmly in place. "Rainy Cullen, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked.

I bit my bottom lip for a minute, leaving him hanging until he really started to look nervous. Then I giggled as I pulled his face back down toward mine. "Oh, I suppose." I answered.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a long time… I've been really busy :P anyways… I had a reviewer ask where Sarah and Kate were during Old Magic (_when the boys + Rainy returned to find them missing and then they didn't show back up until after the final fight_) and I thought I'd do a quick oneshot to explain. (_I guess I just never realized that people cared where they went, ha ha_). So, this one's for **Dark-Supernatural-Angel** ! Enjoy.**

**~_wwsadd_**

**p.s. this will be from Sarah's point-of-view. I've tried not to put too many PoV changes in these stories, and as Sarah is the one I've been using as an alternate in this series, we'll stick to that. I have written some from Kate's point of view in my newer stories, _Blood and Water_ and its sequel, _The Magic Word_. Check them out if you're interested in that kind of thing!**

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Filling in the Gaps

I was exhausted. So was Kate, though she hid it better than I did. The last couple weeks had been such a rollercoaster that I was afraid that we would both end up being scarred for life from this whole debacle. Don't get me wrong, I love Nessie and the boys, but geez, me and Kate are only human. It's not fair to assume we can keep up.

For once, we were okay with them sending us home while they duked out whatever problems they had. I did not want to see _that_ fight between Nessie and Reid. We would be lucky if they both lived through it. So Kate and I went back to my room to fill Nahuel in on everything that had gone down, and, for lack of anything better to do, have a giant pity-party. We're teenage girls; we're allowed to do that sometimes.

Our odd new friend was pacing back and forth in my room, pausing mid-pivot when we barged in. "Is everything alright?" He asked with obvious concern.

Kate and I gave each other a look. I was in no shape to tell the whole story, and from the look she shot back at me, neither was she. I groaned. "Nessie and Reid are probably in some giant power-fueled lovers' quarrel. Other than that, everything's _fantastic_." I grumbled.

Nahuel arched a dark eyebrow. "Lover's quarrel?" He asked pointedly.

Kate sighed and let herself fall into my desk chair. "Don't ask. Rainy will beat some sense into Reid, the five of them will argue about what their next plan of action is going to be, they won't come up with anything useful, and then they'll come whiningly back here." She deadpanned.

I giggled. "Probably." I agreed, climbing onto my bed and wondering if I would even be able to sleep with all of the tension that had been building up in my shoulders.

The Guardian didn't seem to get the implied humor in Kate's words. "Then perhaps we should take action of our own." He said calmly.

"What did you have in mind?" Kate didn't seem too enthusiastic to try and out-maneuver the boys—that hadn't worked out so well last time, and we had had Nessie on our side then.

"I believe we need to make the werewolves aware of what is going on here. This monstrosity is after Renesmee because of her connection to Jacob Black, and I believe that it is only with his help that she and I will be able to defeat it." He explained. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. We had already been over this. And it had caused enough problems.

"Okay, back it up. I thought we decided that Nessie was on our side. What _"connection"_ are you talking about? This whole mess has caused enough of a headache already, dontcha think?" I asked, using my fingers to make quote marks around his word-choice.

Nahuel sighed, seeming sad and somehow resigned. "Alright. It is not my place to tell you both this, but in the interest of time and of what is best in the current situation, you should probably both be made aware of the … technicalities of the present circumstances." He said, moving toward the wide window and staring blankly out at the clear (for once) sky.

Kate and I both sat silent and still. There was a sense of expectancy in the room—like Nahuel was about to hand us the answer key to the biggest test the universe had ever given us or something. When he didn't continue speaking, I cleared my throat, hoping he'd get the hint.

His eyes remained on the blue expanse of sky, but his mouth quirked up into half a grin (a very attractive half a grin, I might add). "You two are familiar with the werewolf lore, are you not?" He asked. We both nodded, though his gaze had not shifted back toward us. He seemed to know the answer anyway and continued. "When a werewolf finds his—or her—true mate, or_ soul mate_ if you will, something happens that they call _imprinting_. It is a split second in time that changes life for both parties instantly. For the wolf, focus seems to shift entirely to that other person. For that person, the wolf—or rather, the man that the wolf really is—becomes everything they need. Renesmee Cullen is Jacob Black's imprint. His world revolves around her, and he is _exactly_ what she needs, whenever she needs him to be it."

I was not hearing this. What in the hell kind of a world was this? "Excuse me?" I asked, my voice so shrill that I didn't even recognize it as my own. Nahuel finally turned and met my incredulous glare. I did not give him a chance to explain further. "So Nessie _has_ just been playing some sick game with all of us then?" I demanded.

Nahuel's eyes widened in surprise. "No. Not at all. She doesn't know." He said, his voice quiet even in the small room. Kate nearly flew out of her chair, her expression matching my own, I'm sure.

"What the _F_ do you mean she doesn't know? Whose brilliant freaking idea was that one?" She growled. I let her take it away, as I knew how much better than me she was at giving the third degree.

"Her parents wanted her to make her own choices, not based on myths and legends, but based on what she thought was best for herself. We all believed that she would end up figuring it out—after all, it's a hard bond to ignore. However, it seems that with Jake gone for as much of her life as he has been, Renesmee has forged herself another path…so to speak." He clarified.

"Well it looks like it, doesn't it?" Kate said, her voice dripping with venom. "So this fiasco has just become an all-out disaster, right? I for one do not want to see a Reid Garwin vs. Jacob Black smack down. We have enough to worry about as it is. And someone needs to tell Rainy—that seriously isn't cool, keeping it from her like that. What happens when she finds out now? That's not a choice she should have to make." She claimed, still obviously angry. I completely agreed. Even though I was still slightly irritated at her, she was my best friend, and that girl had been through enough.

Nahuel's expression darkened. "She already has." He said, his voice hardening, sending a thrill up my spine. After spending so much time with Nessie, it was easy to forget that they (she and Nahuel) were actually not human, and that they were, in fact, dangerous when angry.

Kate looked surprised. "What do you mean she already has…I thought you said she didn't know…"

"She doesn't. But subconsciously, she's already chosen. She didn't stay with Jacob in the forest, and she hasn't returned to him now. The bond between them has been there since the day she was born, and instead of getting stronger, it seems to have faded. She will always care about the werewolf, but her heart belongs to the covenant. Unfortunately, that leaves Jacob Black in a precarious position. Renesmee doesn't need him to be anything for her anymore—she's improvised and found that she likes the changes she's made—so Jake will have to figure out how to live without her needing him… or… not…" He trailed off.

That sounded more ominous than anything else had yet. "Or not?" I asked hesitantly.

"I don't believe anything like this has ever happened before. I could not begin to tell you how it will end. But what I have already said still stands true. Nessie will need Jacob to finish this. I only fear that this will finish _him_. Regardless, we need to reach him, as fast as possible." He declared, moving from the window, and towards the door.

I scrambled to my feet. "How exactly do you propose we do that?" I asked. It may just have been me, but tracking down a werewolf in a rainforest seemed crazy to even try.

"I have my ways. I do, however, have a request. Renesmee and I had quite the time getting back over the border without documentation. Is there any way that…" Kate cut him off.

"We know anyone that could forge you a passport _asap_? It just so happens, I do." She said, with a more mischievous look on her face than I'd ever seen. I gave her an incredulous look.

She gave me a condescending glare. "Our boyfriends can do magic. _Duh_. We'll just ask Pogue's dad. It's not going to take that much energy to put some words on a piece of paper." She explained, talking to me like I was a toddler. I stuck my tongue out at her as she pulled her cell phone out and quickly dialed.

"Mr. Parry, it's Kate… Oh no, everything's great." She said. '_Liar_!' I mouthed at her. She stuck up her middle finger at me and continued talking. "I was actually wondering if you could do me a huge favor… a friend of mine needs a passport, but he doesn't have a valid birth certificate… Something like that, yes." She said, giggling. Damn, she was good at faking it. "Oh, that would be so wonderful! No, Pogue's been kind of stressing lately, I didn't want to bother him, and I just didn't know who else to ask… We'll be right over!" She said cheerily.

Her demeanor changed the minute she shut her cell phone. "And that, young grasshopper, is how it's done." She said, tossing me my keys and leading the way out into the hall.

As we all climbed into her car, we put the finishing touches on _our_ plan. We'd stay out of the way while Nahuel tracked Jake down, so the boys would have no way of knowing what we'd done until after everything was over. We weren't about to make the same mistake as last time. I had to smile slightly, realizing that maybe I was wrong. Maybe we _could_ keep up with their crazy lives.

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**I hope that clears up any confusion! Reviews are loved! **


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